E3 – Items of noteworthynessness

Here are a few reasons why the E3 convention of 2010 was such a winner.

The 3DS obviously getting the first mention because it was the star of the rather Nintendo-dominant show.
A new handheld from Nintendo that is backwards compatible with previous DS games, but now adding two cameras, analogue control, motion sensing and a unique “3D display” similar to that of digital 3D TV’s and movie theatres, only no need to wear those glasses.

The 3DS had a lot of demo’s on display, with some big names already seemingly working on new titles for the device. Demo’s included franchises such as Metal Gear, Kingdom Hearts, Street Fighter and Resident Evil, not to mention several other Nintendo franchises such as Ocarina of Time of the Zelda fame and Star Fox 64, both of which demonstrated sharper graphics than their N64 past-lives.

The Wii had a few promising titles on display too, a new Kirby game being one of them which has Kirby being a piece of yarn, walking around a fabric-type world in a classic sidescroller with a twist. Kirby can manipulate the softness of the stages in order to progress, from unzipping things to creasing the backdrop fabric itself.
Epic Mickey also appeared and looks to be quite good with it’s paint/erase gimmick in a world that oozes Disney fan service.
Donkey Kong Country Returns was also there. The developers have quite a task on their hands, to create a sequel to what some consider the best sidescrolling series of all time.

The last amazing thing of E3 would be Civilization V which I expressed my love for a few months ago when it was first announced. More details emerged including gameplay footage and some information on how deep the game will go. If it plays as good as it looks, I’m sure it will become the new standard in strategy games.

There was also XBOX and Playstation stuff going on. The usual motion-control things and a few cross-platform titles that will fly off the shelves but nothing too striking. I do own a PS3 myself so, I’m not entirely biased.

DOSBox Wii v1.2 released

Tantric has released v1.2 of his DOSBox port for Nintendo Wii.

DOSBox Wii features high game compatibility, drive mounting, USB HID device support and a variety of configurable options.

Halo Legends – US Premiere, February 10th

Halo Legends, the upcoming direct-to-video animated anthology film from Warner Home Video and Microsoft’s 343 Industries, will get its premiere at the AMC Metreon in San Francisco, CA, on February 10, 2010, courtesy of IGN. Halo development director Frank O’Connor will be available after the screening for a Q&A session with attendees of the screening. A limited number of tickets are available for fans, who can e-mail at halolegends@ign.com for availability.

Warner Home Video will distribute Halo Legends on February 16, 2010 as a Special Edition 2-disc version on DVD and Blu-Ray™ as well as On Demand and Digital Download.

Microsoft to release patch for 17 year old bug

Google researcher Tavis Ormandy has discovered a security flaw in Microsoft’s operating system that dates back to the days of Windows 3.1.

This security hole, which has existed in the Virtual DOS Machine since 1993, could allow an attacker to run code on the victim PC in kernel mode (even on Windows 7), so as far along the line has DOS has become now, it’s not above getting a patch after so many years.